Chopin: Nocturnes (CD review)

Jan Lisiecki, piano. MLS-CD-027 (2-CD set).

By Bill Heck

For a young pianist, Lisiecki has a fair number of recordings, and those recordings have met with considerable critical success. The most relevant to the work here is his 2012 album of Chopin Etudes, which was widely, although not universally, praised.

Perhaps the most salient characteristic of the current release is the slow tempi. In an interview published in Gramophone magazine, Lisiecki was asked why the tempos he used in recordings were slower than those of his live performances. His answer, to paraphrase, was that in the concert hall it was necessary to move things along because there were many potential distractions for the audience, but with recordings, presumably heard in the home environment, listeners would have fewer distractions and could engage more fully with the music even at the slower tempi. Of course, the reason for wanting to use slower tempi in the first place was, again paraphrasing, to engage more deeply in a musical dialogue with the listener.

When I queued up this release, the first thing I noticed was a sense of just that sort of engagement. I felt drawn in, metaphorically conversing with Chopin through the artist. And it wasn’t just the slow tempi of the first few nocturnes; there are several positives to note right away. First, Lisiecki’s playing demonstrates remarkable touch and dynamic shading, and the slow tempi allow those qualities to come through very nicely. Moreover, his rhythmic control is firm no matter the tempo: there is no danger of things falling apart as there might be with a lesser musician at the keyboard. These characteristics make for performances that do indeed invite full engagement with the music. And after all, these are nocturnes – they are supposed to be quiet and slow, are they not?

Speaking of rhythmic control, another fine example is Opus 37, number 2 in G major (track 12 on the disk): I don’t recall ever hearing quite the “swaying” quality that Lisiecki manages to convey. Further examples are scattered across the performances. Finally, it’s clear that Lisiecki can play a lot faster when the music calls for it: witness the acceleration in the middle of Opus 48, number 1 in C minor (track13).

Elsewhere in the Gramophone interview, Lisiecki mentions an emphasis on the left hand. This is easily noticeable in the current release: some performances seem to focus more on the right hand, i.e., the higher notes on the scale, the ones that typically carry the melody or main line of the music. Lisiecki pays more attention to balancing the two hands to bring out the underlying harmony, thus revealing more of the complexity of Chopin's writing; I find this a good thing.

But, but…. For all the positives, some (not all) of the tempi are not just slower than usual, but really, really slow. Depending on the patience and/or tolerance of the individual listener – meaning you, dear reader – it’s possible to imagine opportunities for distraction even in the quietest, most comfortable home environment.  For example, in the Opus 37, number 1 in G minor, (track 11 on the disk), the overall effect caused me to think of a lugubrious rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slav. (Yes, I count that as a distraction.) I noted a few points at which things seemed to me to descend into mere mannerism: for example, Opus 62, number 1 in B Major begins with an arpeggiated chord, a short pause, then a single note, followed by another longer pause. Yes, the pauses belong there, but their length seems to me over the top, more effect than called for; a few others in the same piece strike me in the same way. Finally, somewhere along the way I started to feel that enough was enough, we should just get on with things. Obviously, I’m an impatient sort of person; you may not be so afflicted.

On a related note, I find the dynamic range of Lisiecki’s playing a bit constrained. I certainly don’t mean that the sound is monochromatic, and again you may chalk this reaction up to another of my personality flaws, namely an overdeveloped appreciation for musical drama and excitement. You may be more even keeled.

So where do my meanderings leave us? There is no denying Lisiecki’s ability and his deep insight into Chopin’s compositions. Surely we all sympathize with his evident desire to, as he says, fully engage listeners with the music. There should be no doubt that much critical reaction will be very positive, and justifiably so. The question is not one of right or wrong, good or bad; it is simply whether his approach will work for you. As the old saying goes, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

The recorded sound is first rate. In the past, one may not have associated the DG label with full, natural recorded sound, piano or otherwise, but this is not the only recent DG recording I've heard that provides truly excellent sonics. (For example, check out the recent recording of the Rachmaninoff First Symphony and Symphonic Dances by the Philadelphia orchestra.) On my system, the piano sounds quite natural, well balanced from top to bottom with no hint of harshness or distortion and with a clear spatial image and natural presence.

BH

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click here: